


With a little help

by Vae



Category: Firefly RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-11-25
Updated: 2006-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-20 16:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vae/pseuds/Vae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friends. Can't tell them, can't stop them finding out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My lovely LJ f-list gave me prompts for short N/S fics. However, I fail at the short, so here follows a two part, longer fic to include the prompts: reflective, first, and fool

The weighted door closed with a heavy click of latch snicking into housing, and Sean dropped into the one chair in his hotel room that wasn't strewn with clothing waiting to be packed after being hastily stripped off at some point during the weekend. It wasn't so much that he'd _had_ to change, regardless of Jewel's teasing. More that jet lag had been a real bitch, and fresh clothes and a shower after a nap helped him feel more alert. Still, that was over with now, until next time. Whenever next time turned out to be. Heading back home tomorrow, to get hit by jet lag from the other direction. What joy. 

Still, at least there were compensations waiting for him when he got home. Even if the compensation in question would also be hungover. Edge of a tired grin tugging at his lips, he pulled his boots off, wiggling his toes to reaccustom them to freedom, and tucked one foot underneath him on the chair as he took his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He palmed it open, thumb finding the speed dial automatically as he raised it to his ear, waiting for the familiar voice.

Five rings... six rings... BEEP. "Hi, this is Nathan, I'm not talking to you right now. Leave a message and I might later."

"Do you _ever_ actually answer this thing? Anyhow, yeah, it's Sean, con's over, gimme a call when you can fit it 'round your hectic social life." He flipped the phone closed, tossing it onto the bed and pushing himself out of the chair to fetch his bag from the closet. Six hours until the flight, three hours before check-in, fucking nuisance security measures and waiting lines, hour or so to pack... Maybe time to catch some sleep. Packing first, though.

He'd just done a second sweep of the closet and the drawers - even though he hadn't actually managed to unpack anything into the drawers, but just to be certain - and gathered everything together on the bed when a pile of shirts began buzzing. Sean spared a moment to shake his head at the tired fuzziness that had let him cover up his cellphone before pushing shirts aside and checking caller ID. "Nathan, hey. How's the barbecue going?"

"Just getting started, Seanie. You should be here. Gonna be great. James might even - uh, no? No. He says no. Not gonna let me cook. Wanna tell him how great I am at barbecues?"

It was evidently an argument that had been taking place before he'd called. Sean ran fingers through his hair, looking around for somewhere to sit. Every surface was covered in clothes. Even that chair. "Uh... no. No, I don't." Giving in, he sat down crosslegged on the floor, one elbow propped against the edge of the bed, nudging the side of his bag. "Because I'm still not gonna let you forget that fucking _fire_ you started at Alan's place last year."

"Aww, Seanie..."

"And calling me that's gonna persuade me to help you how?" He grinned, shifting around until his back was against the side of the bed. Much better. "No. James was your director, he calls the shots, you don't. I know you're not used to it, but every now and again, someone else gets to be in charge."

"Hey! I can... let other... Okay, well, maybe. Might have a point." Nathan's voice sounded grudging for a moment before brightening again. "Still, you should be here. Beautiful day, bright sunshine..."

"And all of you sitting around exchanging horror stories about who got coldest during night filming in those forests in Vancouver? No, thanks. Heard enough about that from you already. Besides, been kind of busy myself this weekend."

"Yeah, right! So, how'd it go? First con without me there to hold your hand -"

Sean couldn't stop the laughter that exploded at that one. "Hold my hand? Nate, you don't get to hold my hand at a con. I think half the room would faint if you did. Starting with any others of the cast that were there. And, yeah. It was good. Well, you know Starfury, Sean looks after us pretty well... Morena had to leave early, she's off filming again. Oh, and I kissed Jewel."

There was a short silence.

"Nate?"

"You did _what_? Sean, the woman's married! Not to mention... guess you didn't miss me too much, then."

Sean smiled, tugging one knee up to hug it close. "Think some of the fans missed you. Rest of us? Not so much. Was kind of weird to be able to get a word in, first question sessions were kind of quiet, but... we got used to it."

"Oh. So... kissing?"

"It wasn't like _that_. Look, neither you or Jonathan were there, and you really think we could go a whole con without a kiss? We as in the Firefly clan, by the way, not Jewel and me, before you start getting the wrong idea again. Married, as you said. It was the closing ceremony, and -"

"Oh, right. Closing ceremony. You call me an asshole again, too?"

" _Nathan_." The smile vanished, and Sean let go of his knee, standing up. "No, actually. I was very complimentary about you. Told about five hundred people you were a great kisser." He crossed to the window, staring through the reflection of the impersonal hotel room to the streetlight sprinkled night beyond and regretted the last glass of wine. Last three glasses of wine. He bit his lip, leaning his forehead against the cold glass. "I should go and pack."

"Yeah." Nathan's voice was flat. Impersonal. "Yeah, you should... and I have guests, so..."

"So... right. I guess.. .'bye, then." Sean waited. No response. Cold glass against his forehead, headache beginning to build behind his eyes, tension right at the back of his skull.

He flipped the phone closed, ending the call, and dropped it in the vague direction of the dressing table, still looking out across the airport estate. In the distance, a plane took off, circled, gained height, and slowly shrank from sight. He folded his arms, fingers digging slightly too hard into his own flesh, and tried to work out what exactly had happened to a perfectly reasonable phone call. A knocking on the door interrupted him. He ignored it.

"Sean? Open the damn door or I'm fetching reinforcements!"

Sean sighed. That tone of voice was far too familiar. Unlocking his arms, he walked across to the door, flipping off the safety catch and opening the latch, pulling it open to allow a glaring Christina into the room. "Look, Christina, it's been great to see you. Really. But I have to pack, and I have to -"

"You have to call Nathan back right now." Blue eyes stared fiercely up into his.

"What?" Sean took a step back, letting the door fall closed again. "Christina, I don't... he doesn't..."

In answer, she crossed the room, looked at him pointedly and knocked on the wall. "Thin walls, Sean. Couldn't hear what you were saying, but I've known you long enough to recognise that tone in your voice. 'Nathan's a great kisser'? You _know_ , Sean. That was the voice of experience talking. More experience than I've had. More _recent_ experience. And, well, look at you!" She gestured in his direction, hand waving up and down his body. "Shoulders down. Chin down. You're practically hugging yourself, Sean, and I could hear you talking on the phone. Doesn't take a genius to work it out. You said something, and Nathan was an asshole. Gimme your cellphone."

"He wasn't an... No!" He glanced around, trying to work out where it had fallen.

Christina pouted. "Right. Reinforcements." She knocked on the wall again, two quick knocks followed by three slower ones. Sean rolled his eyes, leaning one hip against the dressing table. Less then thirty seconds later, the same pattern was repeated on the door to his room. Christina gave him a smug look and went over to open the door, revealing Jewel standing outside, features alight with curiosity. Her face rapidly transformed when she caught sight of Sean, and he turned away, closing his eyes and trying to hide. She knew him far too well.

"Sean! What the _hell_ happened?"

He shook his head, refusing to turn back.

"Nathan happened," Christina informed her. "Sean called him, Nathan was an asshole..."

"Sean...wait, wait one minute here. Sean, you and Nathan have a thing?" Jewel sounded torn between disbelief and delight. 

Sean folded his arms more tightly. Yeah, she knew him too fucking well if she'd made that jump already. And that meant, any moment...

"You and Nathan have a _thing_ and you didn't _tell_ me?" Delight was fading into mock annoyance. Or maybe real annoyance. He could practically feel her eyes narrowing. "You listen here, buddy. Things like that, you're meant to tell me. Or he is!"

"Jewel," Christina interrupted quietly. "Not now. Now is the Nathan-is-an-asshole moment."

"And this is different from the other Nathan-is-an-asshole moments in that - right. _Right_." A small hand closed on Sean's upper arm, pulling at him until he turned around to face them with a sigh. Jewel peered up at him, forehead wrinkling and a look of determination came over her face. "Okay. Nathan _is_ an asshole. A self-centered, self-obsessed -"

"Handsome," Christina put in.

Jewel glared at her. "Geeky -"

"Charming -"

"Freakishly tall -"

"Funny -"

"Arrogant -"

"Sweet -"

"Goofball of an asshole," Jewel finished triumphantly, and then narrowed her eyes at Christina. "You're being _nice_ about him."

Sean leaned back against the dressing table, vaguely amused. "Girls, I appreciate the in-depth discussion of Nathan, but can you take it somewhere else? I have to pack."

"Oh, no." Christina shook her head. "You just give me that phone, and sit down."

Sean looked meaningfully at the clothes covering every available seat. Jewel threw him an exasperated look, gathered an armful of shirts off a chair to clear it, and stuffed them into his open bag, ignoring his protests. 

"Look, it's all laundry, right?"

"Jewel, I have to fit everything in there. And that postcard book. No way I'm leaving that behind."

Jewel rolled her eyes at him, took the shirts out, pointedly folded them and replaced them in the bag. "Now sit, and give Christina your phone. Because she's gonna... what are you gonna do with his phone, anyway?"

He sat, pulling one foot up onto the other knee, watching bemusedly as Jewel continued to fold and pack his clothes far more efficiently than he'd ever managed. "Good question. Chris?"

"I'm gonna call Nathan." Christina gave him a smug smile.

"Right. Not all his fault, you know, and that's kinda not encouraging me to give you my phone."

"Don't need to." Jewel stopped packing and produced her own cellphone. "Got Nathan's number right here." 

Sean lunged across the room towards her, missing as she danced away, and found himself sprawled across the cleared part of the bed with Christina sitting firmly on his chest, smiling sweetly. Fuck, they'd actually do it, too. "Look, it's kinda between him and me, okay?"

"Because _that_ was working out so great. Not any more," Jewel said firmly, and hit a key on her cell, lifting it to her ear. "Nathan, hi. Yeah, I'm still in England. Just called to tell you you're an asshole."


	2. Chapter 2

Sean groaned, lifting an arm to cover his eyes. This couldn't be happening. The whole evening was a dream, that was it. He'd got back from the con, tried to start packing, and fallen asleep, and he was dreaming. He'd never even gotten around to phoning Nathan.

"Why? Well, actually, a reason other than your general asshole-ishness, this time. You're an asshole because Sean was in a great mood when he left the con, and then he talked to you and now he looks like Teddy did the time Matt accidentally walked into him... yeah, kicked puppy look... What? Yeah, he kissed me... No! No... Screw you, Nathan, I really do love Sean... yeah, 'your boyfriend' Sean, he was just being his usual adorable self and... Nathan, for God's sake!"

Christina pushed off Sean's chest, making him grunt slightly as air was forced from his lungs. His friend wasn't as light as she looked, but if she could manage to stop Jewel fighting with Nathan as well, it was worth being used as a cushion. Even if it did convince him he wasn't dreaming. He pushed himself up on his elbows and watched as she walked up behind Jewel to pluck the cellphone from her unresisting fingers.

"Hi Nathan. Yeah, this is Christina... remember me? Oh, _good_. No, you're not gonna talk to Jewel right now. Or Sean. You're gonna listen for a change."

Jewel's expression of annoyance faded to consideration, and she nodded. Sean sat up, eying Christina suspiciously. She waved her fingers at him dismissively, and continued to ignore him. "Okay. First, I agree with Jewel, you're an asshole. And when I'm done talking with you, I'll be telling Sean the same thing... no, that _he's_ an asshole, because it takes two people to screw up a phone call. Listening? Good... Sean was being sweet and telling all the fans that he loves Jewel, she snuck up behind him and pouted, until he turned, noticed her, and kissed her. It was just _fun_ , Nathan... Oh, he didn't? Right... and when you kissed Jonathan? ... I see... Anyhow, my point is, whatever else, you're an asshole because my very dear friend is hurting after talking to you. Got that? Yes, I'm _going_ to tell him. And then Jewel and I are gonna finish his packing, while you and he _talk to each other_. 'Bye, Nathan... How do I disconnect this thing?"

Jewel reclaimed the phone and ended the call. "Packing? We're gonna do his _packing_?"

"We are."

Sean stood up. Phone calls were one thing, but taking over his entire evening was really not on. He was met with twin glares and a hand from each of them on his shoulders, pushing him back to the bed.

Christina waved a finger reprovingly in front of his face. "Your turn to listen. Jewel's gonna finish your packing, because you're on the same flight I am and I don't wanna get delayed on my way home because _you're_ late to the gate."

"So I don't get to lecture?" Jewel pouted, beginning to pack anyway. Sean noted that she wrapped the postcard book securely in a couple of t-shirts before placing it carefully into the bag. Of course, she'd been presented with a scrapbook, too. God, the fans were so sweet sometimes.

The fingers in front of his face snapped impatiently. "Concentrate, Sean. You're an asshole."

"Wait, wait!" He frowned. "Now _I'm_ the asshole? I thought you said Nathan was an asshole."

"You're an asshole, he's an asshole, it's a perfect match." Christina tilted her head. "He says he's hurting too. Which could just be Nathan being the drama queen we all know and love - especially you, apparently - but it actually sounded like truth. Newsflash, Sean - when you've got a thing going on with someone, you don't just announce to them that you kissed someone else!"

Jewel sucked her breath in with an audible gasp. "Oh. My. God. Sean, you didn't!"

Christina nodded. "He did."

"Hey!" Sean protested. "Look, I just wanted to tell him first, okay?"

"Uh huh." Jewel stopped packing and fixed him with a look. "And you did, didn't you, Sean? You told him. No lead up, no scene setting. You just told him."

"Well...yeah."

Jewel nodded triumphantly as if he'd proved her point, and returned to folding a pair of jeans. "See? You're an asshole."

He sighed, and flopped back down onto the bed, holding a hand up in surrender. "Okay. I admit it. I, Sean Maher, am a one-hundred-percent-genuine, grade A asshole. And now that's established, maybe you'd like to leave me to my assholery in peace?"

"Uh, let me think. No." Christina lifted his jacket off the dressing table and bent down, straightening in triumph to brandish his cellphone. "We're gonna stay right here, and you're gonna call Nathan and explain, and tell him you miss him. How long have you two...?"

Sean rubbed his hand over his eyes. Thank God it was Christina he was sharing a flight with, and not Jewel. Because Jewel was about to be really fucking annoyed with him. "A couple of years?"

There was a wordless squeaking sound. He risked a quick glance at Jewel. Her hands were open, and a shirt was crumpled on the bed next to his bag. Her mouth was open as well, working soundlessly. He transferred his gaze to Christina, who looked much less surprised, nodding as if she'd expected as much.

" _Years?_ " Jewel had recovered her voice. "Years, Sean? Two _years_ and I never knew, never noticed, and neither of you told me? When we were filming, as well?" Her voice wobbled dangerously.

Shit. He hadn't been expecting that. Anger, yes, but she sounded close to tears, and was he going to manage to speak to anyone that evening without upsetting them? Sean scooted down the bed to where she was standing and sat up, pulling her down to sit next to him. He hesitated for an instant before wrapping an arm around her, thankful when she didn't resist but leaned into him instead, resting her head against his shoulder. "Not when we were filming. Afterwards. After the wrap party. And we didn't _not_ tell you, we just... _didn't_ tell you. We didn't tell anyone, it just happened, and then it kept on happening. There wasn't anything to tell at first, and by the time there was, well, it was just kind of... I thought you'd get mad at me for not saying anything before."

"Oh, we're mad at you, Sean." Christina folded her arms and glared. "Trust me on this, we're pretty fucking mad. But we're also mad at Nathan, and Jewel's off to Paris, and we've got a flight to catch, so we're not gonna get mad at you right now."

"We're not?" Jewel asked doubtfully, her voice slightly muffled by Sean's shirt. "'Cause I'm ready to be pretty fucking mad at him right now."

"No, we're gonna save it for sometime we can get him and Nathan together, and then get _really_ mad at both of them."

Sean groaned inwardly. That was going to be a fun meeting, and he knew Christina too well to expect that she could be persuaded to forget about it. "Okay, fine, so neither of you are getting mad at me now, so can I get my packing finished?"

Two faces turned to him, both wearing identical expressions of honeyed sweetness. Uh oh. "Oh, come on, look, I'll talk to him, okay? I'll fucking talk to him, but I am _not_ doing it with an audience."

Jewel smiled. Christina raised an eyebrow. Sean withdrew his arm from Jewel's shoulders and buried his face in his hands. "Please?"

A small hand patted his back consolingly. "Not a chance," Jewel informed him sweetly. "We'll just finish up your packing while you guys talk. Don't worry. We won't say a _word_."

"Right," Christina confirmed. "We'll just be right here." His cellphone dropped into his lap. "Don't wait around, Sean. I dialed for you."

Sean snatched his phone up, scrambling off of the bed and over to the window in search of some illusion of privacy, turning his back on the girls, shoulders hunching up as he counted the ring tones. Not many left, just a couple more, and through to voicemail, and he could wait until he was alone to talk to Nathan. Or maybe even once he was back in L.A.. No such luck. Of course, this had to be the one time Nathan actually _answered_ his fucking cellphone.

"Hey, asshole here. You got as much audience as I do?" Nathan's voice sounded strained.

Sean slanted a look back over his shoulder. Jewel was at least pretending to pay attention to folding a pair of jeans into his case. Christina was perched on the edge of the bed, legs elegantly crossed, her chin resting on her hand, watching him.

"Yeah, I think that about covers it. Asshole here, too."

Christina offered a thumbs-up sign with her free hand and mouthed something at him. Sean squinted at her, digging fingers into his neck. "Chris wants to say... Sorry? No, wait... wants... Oh, right. She wants _me_ to say _I'm_ sorry. To you."

There was a wry chuckle over the line. "Yeah, Lisbet pretty much wants the same. Uh... she says... okay, okay, I'm saying it, right? Sorry."

Sean grinned, turning back to look out across the airport. "Maybe we should just let them talk to each other. Nate, look, I _am_ , okay? Sorry, that is. Uh... About the telling you thing, not the kissing. Not sorry for that. And about the call, earlier."

"Oh, hey, no, don't sweat it. Jewel all pouty? I'd probably have kissed her myself."

"You'd _definitely_ have kissed her."

"Might have kissed _you_ instead. With, y'know, petition and everything."

"Oh, yeah, right. Absolutely." Sean risked another glance at the girls. They were both sitting on his bed, radiating attention. "Wouldn't even think of such a thing without one."

"Fuck, no, not a chance! So, uh. I guess Jewel knows, then?"

Sean sighed, fingers pushing harder into tense muscles. "Yeah. I didn't... didn't realize Christina could hear me through the wall."

"Oh, right. Right, yeah. Scale of okay to fucking incensed, how mad is Jewel?"

"Uh... seven?"

"Pretty fucking mad?"

"That's the one. Christina, too. But it's okay."

Sean could almost hear the slow blink before Nathan spoke. "It's okay?"

"Yeah. They're gonna save it up and get mad at us both together."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Hey, y'know, I hear Tibet's a really great place at this time of year?"

"Tibet, really?" A smothered giggle behind him was cut off by the click of the door closing, and Sean craned his neck to look back, dropping his hand as he saw only a neatly fastened case by his bed with a folded sheet of paper on top. Jewel and Christina had gone. 

"Yeah, Tibet. Or, pretty much any time of year. We could move there. Permanently. There's gotta be work for a couple of actors in Tibet, right? Some kinda Buddhist passion plays?" 

"I don't think they really go in for that kind of thing, but... Right. My audience just disappeared. Still got yours?"

"Growing by the moment. What can I say, I'm a popular guy. Hey!"

"What?"

"Not you, Seanie. Jenna just prodded me. I can't... Jenna, I'm not working for... I don't have to say his fucking lines! Or yours... Oh, hey, that's not fair!"

Sean laughed, some of the tension dropping from his shoulders as he unfolded the note Christina had left. "What's going on?"

"New script. It says... Hey, I am _not_ saying that! Not over the phone. And _not_ when you guys are all listening. Go watch James burn something... oh, God, no, I am not taking fucking notes on my performance on... Sean? I'm gonna love you forever if you hang up on me right now."

"Not a chance." Sean settled on the edge of the bed, squinting at the words on the paper. They still didn't make sense. 

"Asshole."

"Already established that one. Asshole. Christina left me a script, too. Well, notes."

"Yeah? What's it say?"

"You first, Nathan."

"Aww, Seanie! C'mon, gimme something to work with here."

"Okay... God, the things I do for you." Sean scanned the paper, trying to find something not too cryptic or embarrassing. 

"Mmm. I like the things you do for me." Nathan's voice was warm and teasing. 

"Me, too. And the things you do for me. Okay, here's something. She says I need to work on the apology thing and I missed some stuff. Your turn."

"Is that it? I've got actual _lines_ here! Which I am _not_ saying!"

"Nate!"

"Okay, okay, just hold on a moment for me? I'm gonna call you right back. From somewhere _else_."

There was a hubbub of voices and then a soft electronic sound as the call disconnected. Sean shook his head, grinning, and tucked the note in the top of his case, moving to grab his carry-on bag and stuff the last few of his personal belongings in there. Typical Nathan. If he didn't like the situation, he changed it. Sean didn't even want to think about how Nathan might have reacted to Jewel and Christina taking over his evening. 

He let the phone ring a couple of times before picking it up and answering the call, still pondering Christina's suggestions. "Nathan?"

"No one else." 

There was an odd echo to the sound. Sean frowned, trying to work out where it came from. "Are you hiding in your _bathroom_?"

"And what if I am?"

"God, Nate, you're supposed to be hosting this barbecue, not running from your guests. Go back to them!"

"Not yet. Just wanted to make sure... We're good, right?"

"Unless you're mad at me for the girls finding out, yeah, we're good." Sean smiled, fingers playing with the zipper of his bag. "Or we will be."

"Not mad. Kinda scared about running into either or both of them, or exactly how many people Jewel's gonna have told before next time I get to see them, but not mad. _Will_ be?"

"Will be," Sean confirmed, his voice soft. "When I get back. Been missing you. Not so much for the con. Just you."

"Yeah, I... How do you _do_ that?" 

"What?"

"You say the corniest things and it's just _cute_!" Nathan sounded half confused, half frustrated. "If I said that kind of thing, you'd laugh. You say it, and I just get gooey."

"Sounds messy," Sean observed with a chuckle.

"See, you're laughing!"

"You didn't say it."

"Right. I... uh... okay. I miss you. Get your ass back here, okay? Soon."

"I'm not laughing. Neither is my ass. We're getting back as soon as we can. I leave for the airport in... um... an hour. You've got the flight details, right?"

"All pinned up in the kitchen. Be there waiting for you."

"Thanks. I mean it. Now go make sure James hasn't set fire to your fence!"

**Author's Note:**

> These characters are fictional. The situation is fictional. Resemblance to real people may be inferred, but it's not there. I'm not saying anything about the actions, careers or sexual orientation of those involved.


End file.
